With your setup and 10k pounds total would you be able to keep up with traffic on a mountain grade?

 

Empty my truck weighs right around 8500 lbs. Montana is not exactly flat so I do get to pull 6 to 8% grades on a regular basis. I have yet to find a grade that I can't run an easy 80 MPH if not 85 to 90.

 

I was in Montana last week visiting family.
Thanks for your input. I'm liking the 4bts the more I read about them, they're just so damn proud of them $$

 

That they are.

 

4BTs are nothing to shake a stick at. Its a 6bt without 2 cylinders. Same parts, subtract 20% of the power. Buddy had one in a 67 F250 with an hy35, fuel plate and some injectors and he would pull on most of the 12v / 24v boys and was getting 25mpg. They idle VERY rough and are quite loud. Nothing inherently smokey about them or their low end torque, they just dont have any dynamic timing just as a 12v, so too big a turbo will spool slow, and its a 3.9L so no, it wont have the off idle torque an engine twice its size will, but they are impressive. All that said, im pretty sure i would not transplant one into your MH. What makes you think your IDI needs an overhaul?

 

Are you trying to tell me that my VE pumped 4BT does not have dynamic timing? If so, you are very much mistaken. All Bosch VE pumps installed on Cummins engines have dynamic timing.

As for turbo choice, with an HY35, yes, it would be a slow spooling smoky turd. Lots of info about turbos over on 4BT Swaps - an HE221W or HX30W is hard to beat as a single or as the high pressure turbo in a compound setup.

With a good set of engine mounts, the idle vibration is way over exaggerated.

 

I was able to subdue the temps on my doghouse by:

1.) wrapping my up- and down-pipes.
2.) Installing a turbo blanket.
3.) Installing reflecting 1/8" thick insulation (with sticky back) directly to the dog house and the ceiling underside of engine bay.
4.) Putting the 1/2" stock diesel insulation back on the doghouse over the sticky-back reflecting insulation.
5.) Installing a thick doghouse saddle from a 1984 E350 over the interior-side of the doghouse.

After all that, the temps are pretty mild on the doghouse. However, the top pocket directly over the turbo still gets freaking hot. I had a friend put a bottle of hand sanitizer in there by accident, and it was probably 120 degrees when he pulled it out on a long trip. X-D

Also, it helped a lot when I re-routed the stock non-turbo air supply hose (under the passenger side battery) to blow directly on the turbo. That way, when I was driving highway speed, the air would blow thru the grill, into the air intake hole under the battery, then thru a custom dryer vent hose that bent up past the valve cover and pointed to vent directly on the turbo. Not only did it keep the back part of the engine cooler, but also, it provided some cleaner air for my Hypermax turbo air filter. However, with your Banks kit, you have all that crap up front, thus it keeps any airflow from making it back to the doghouse area. Makes it kind of tough.

Another plan I had to make the doghouse cooler was to run some flexible metal piping back-and-forth between the doghouse and the up-, down-, and other hot pipes and components. Then I would run the ends up to the front grill and run some kind of innercooler, condenser, or heatexchanger to flow air-cooled oil or water thru the circuit. It would need some kind of e-pump to keep the system flowing, but in theory, it would keep the doghouse cool. However, with the air-vent, insulation, and saddle that I already have installed, I scrapped the doghouse cooler project since I was already running pretty cool.

 

@ genscripter
My vehicle came stock with the IDI so the dog house is already insulated with about 1" thick insulation. My up and down pipes are wrapped. My turbo is blanketed. I looked at your pics before turboing mine, it looks nice and clean. There's not a lot online for van cabs with IDI's that are turboed. I put in a ZF5 transmission so the shape of the bellhousing puts the up and down pipes further back. I used parts from a Banks kit and a Rotomaster turbo, built my own exhaust to fit van cab with manual trans. If I stick with the IDI it looks as if I can scoot it forward an inch to get it away from the doghouse. As far as the ram air duct supply to cool the turbo, that's a really good idea. I am relocating the batteries and putting in an intercooler and putting an air filter box where the passenger side battery is, so there may not be room for that with all the associated piping.

 

@ hairyboxnoogle
Sorry don't know how to post quotes like you guys are doing.
You asked why I think my IDI needs an overhaul.
It's an old retired U-HAUL with 200,000 + miles. All rental miles. Not to mention you'd add some due to people unplugging the speedo cable as to not rack up miles because they get charged per mile.
The motor runs good after replacing entire fuel inj. system. Has terrible blow by and oil leaks. It's not bad but seeing as how it's a motorhome that I travel in, if it ever breaks down it'll likely be in another state which would lead to a pricey tow bill. I have a spare IDI motor that I may rebuild and do a few upgrades to handle the turbo if I go that route. If I do a Cummins I'd go through the motor before putting it in.
Which ever motor goes in I'm rebuilding it first. I want to put it in and not ever touch it again besides maintenance.
I am a machinist by trade so a lot of the costs are down due to doing it myself. I'm just simply trying to make this thing very reliable

 

@1972 Redneck, Genscripter, Hairyboxnoogle
Thank you for your replies.

 

I may not do anything. My wife's not a big fan of how much money I'm dumping into this stupid thing.

 

IDIs do that. It has something to do with the massive ring gaps designed into the motor...

Even a freshly rebuilt IDI will have lots of blow by. That's what the CDR is for.